Do No Evil (Aeon Trilogy Book 2)

Chapter 16

"It's been more than twenty-four hours since this attack! Why wasn't I told immediately, Lieutenant Choi?" demanded Willy of the officer on the other end of the scratchy phone line.

"You're not in my chain of command, sir," stammered the young officer. "I reported up to my -"

"Damn the chain of command! I brought Chengwen in, I know all about his enemies, I need to be told of everything that happens!" Willy was shouting into the microphone.

"Sir, I will reflect this to my commanding officer," replied the Lieutenant, clearly chafing at Willy's tone but unable to challenge an officer as senior as Willy.

Willy paused. There was no use haranguing the Lieutenant, who had been following the proper procedures in reporting the failed attack on Chengwen's safe house. Because of the secrecy surrounding Chengwen's hideout, security protocols were tight. Reports of the raid had not yet filtered through the tightly controlled but still incomplete communications system to Willy. He had only learned of it when trying to reach Chengwen.

He breathed out to release the tension in his chest, rubbed his temple, and then started speaking into the phone again. For now, the phone was the only way of communicating with the safe house, because its other network connections had been destroyed in the attack. It had taken him half a day of effort even to get his primitive voice call through. "Very well, Lieutenant. What was the outcome? Casualties? Is Chengwen safe?"

"Yes, sir." The Lieutenant's tone was hesitant. He was clearly thinking through what he was authorized to tell Willy before speaking. "We lost one man. And we killed one of the enemy. Chengwen is shaken up. He was right there in the middle of the fighting. He was burned superficially by a refracted laser and he is, um, withdrawn."

"Withdrawn?"

"Yes, sir. His biometrics check out fine, but he's sort of subdued. He doesn't want to talk to anyone, and he's not helping us restore our network connections. I guess he's in shock, sir."

Willy grimaced. Chengwen, he reflected, had never undergone any kind of combat training. Seeing a bloody laser battle unfold in his quarters could be hard for him to cope with. But Willy needed Chengwen working for him urgently. Cruz had only given him forty-eight hours. The damaged network connections at the safe house could probably be restored within a day, which was already too long. If Chengwen was suffering from debilitating post-traumatic stress, his psyche could take much longer to repair.

"Are you evacuating the hideout?" he asked.

"No, sir. We think the raid was opportunistic, a small Federal commando team trying to take out what they thought was a local communications hub as they prepared to execute a larger strike against the nearby airfield. Their team was small and lightly armed, suggesting they thought this was a relatively insignificant target. When they encountered stiff resistance, they bugged out. We'll stay put for now because we have strict protocols against movement in or out of the facility and we think the threat of a repeat attack is lower than the risk entailed in moving Chengwen."

"All right, I'm coming up there." Willy knew he was going to be stretching the forty-eight hours Cruz had granted him. Because the restrictions on traveling by motor vehicle during daylight hours, reaching Chengwen's safehouse might take a full day. And if he couldn't get Chengwen to snap out of his stupor quickly after that, he'd have no way of getting Chengwen's assistance in analyzing the intelligence that Widelane was using to push for an all-out war.

"Sir, as I just mentioned we have strict protocols on visits. I will begin applying for the authorization immediately, sir."

Instead of berating Lieutenant Choi for his officiousness, Willy closed his eyes and reminded himself that the man was simply following the procedures meant to ensure the secrecy of the safe house. "Make your applications, Lieutenant, but I'm departing immediately. Don't worry, I know how to travel in a way that doesn't draw attention."